AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso took the blame for his side’s 2-0 defeat to Rijeka in the Europa League, but had some stern words for his team, particularly forward Andre Silva.
The Rossoneri failed to register a single shot on target as they were easily beaten by their Croatian hosts, although the new coach had opted to rest a number of stars, given qualification from the group stage had already been sealed.
“The fault of this is all mine,” Gattuso claimed in his post match press conference. “However, I have a feeling that on a mental level this team are not able to react. When something negative happens, we disappear.
“I tried to give an opportunity to some of the players who haven’t played much, but it didn’t work. We have players here who need minutes, and we did not come here to lose.”
It was a particularly frustrating evening for Portugal forward Andre Silva, and Gattuso singled the summer signing out for criticism.
“We all know his value, and he scores plenty for his national team, but when you play in cup competitions with Milan you have to contribute more,” the former Rossoneri midfielder continued.
“He looked like an outsider and foreign body in our team. When you wear the shirt of Milan you have to respect it.”
Milan must now turn their attention to Serie A matters as they welcome Bologna to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday evening.
